CEBU, Philippines – The Cebu City Transportation Office has claimed success in managing the traffic during the Christmas rush despite the volume of vehicles in major city streets especially at the vicinity of shopping malls.
Lawyer Rey Gealon, CCTO executive director, attributed the successful traffic management to the additional work hour he required from each traffic enforcer to ensure traffic personnel on the streets.
Gealon said traffic personnel were not also allowed to leave on December 24 and 25.
“We are in full force… We made it a policy that there will be additional one hour of work each day and no absence or leave allowed,” said Gealon.
Gealon said despite the traffic spilling over from the South Coastal Road on Christmas eve, they were able to keep the traffic flow moving.
“The rush was on the 24th up until the evening. There was heavy volume (of vehicles) considering that everyone seemed bent on bringing something [on the eleventh hour] for the Noche Buena,” said Gealon.
“CCTO personnel have managed the rushing traffic, though. On Christmas Day, the streets were clear and open for traffic. Most may have stayed home or went somewhere (out of the city),” he added.
Gealon also noted that the opening of two shopping malls recently helped prevent traffic concentration in one area because the people were spread in different shopping centers.
“It helps that two malls have opened as motorists have spread all over the city,” he said.
Gealon is confident that they will be able to maintain the traffic situation in the city until the New Year.
“We are confident that we will be able to manage traffic as the personnel have already been deployed since Christmas and seemed sufficient to address the on rush of vehicles coming back to the city from elsewhere,” he said. — (FREEMAN)